Maybe I'll try this recipe, because I have the pecans. But without the frosting and crumble, that seems like a lot of unnecessary work. Maybe just add a few more peaches to the cake, and top with frosting made with peach preserves and some granola sprinkled on top?

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/peach-cobbler-cupcakes-3364016

It sounds like it would come out like muffins, and I would be concerned about the spreading muffin tops. Better to use ramekins than a muffin pan IMO.

You might want to look for a peach muffin recipe.

Yes, definitely use the peach cobbler cupcakes recipe! That sounds really good!

eta: with the cream and nut topping! that’s what makes the recipe good. :)

I agree that cobbler cupcakes would come out better than the torte recipe in a muffin pan.

Yeah it just seemed like a lot of trouble to bake a crumble topping in advance for sprinkling on top. I made a blueberry muffin recipe last week with a crumble topping that was then topped with a sugar glaze. In that case, the combination just didn't add anything to the muffin. Either crumble or glaze would have been enough. I think the crumble topping could be baked with the cupcakes, like with a coffee cake . . . I'm just so lazy, if I was going to top the frosting with a crumble layer I would just buy granola or maybe crumble up some gingersnaps . . .

I just made the MB plum/summer torte. It took almost 45 minutes to bake in a 9" springform so I wonder if, in cupcake tins, the batter would be cooked before the fruit gets jammy?

That cupcake crumble won't be nice if you don't make it as stated. No reason not to substitute granola, if it's broken up. I wouldn't do the gingersnaps by themselves, but you could rub them with a dab of butter and mix in some boughten sliced toasted almonds. Peaches and almonds go well.

Re the pan not mattering, since it's the Times, who curate their feedback, it probably means they got a lot of comments like, I didn't have an 8” springform but my 10” worked fine, or I just used a two piece cake pan, or a skillet, or a pizza pan, etc. Some recipes don't care, and others will fail if you improvise. Thanks for posting the recipe. If my apricots are still good, I might try it with them instead of plums. ;)

It works with many, many fruits. It doesn't raise much, which is maybe why they suggest serving it as a cake rather than cupcakes.

I disagree that a recipe "won't be nice" if you don't follow it exactly. In fact, we used to have constant riffing discussions on here . . .

I didn't mean or say that the recipe as a whole wouldn't be nice, just that that crumble needs to be baked to be nice and if you don't want to bake it the alternatives you yourself suggested would be better, though I think the cookie crumbs would be even better with some pre-toasted nuts.

Stay tuned I am going to do some experimenting!

Early in the summer I baked a similar sort of cake, Smitten Kitchen’s Rhubarb Snacking Cake https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/05/rhubarb-snacking-cake/ in cupcake tins and it worked well. I had no difficulty unmolding and it does make casual service easy. I even made a GF flour version and that worked as well.

It "won't be nice" if you make it as cupcakes because you will have to bake the cupcakes much less time than a torte pan full and the peaches won't get done.. You could give them a zap in the micro before adding them....but why not just kake a torte and cut it there. Really not a lot of trouble.

I made the torte with the apricots, which I soaked in Grand Marnier first. I rescued the end of the bottle from a disintegrating cork. For the topping, since the liqueur had mottled the fruit, and I thought it would taste good, I used dark brown for the sugar, and I used the apricot/orange booze/syrup instead of the lemon juice. I couldn't find the saigon cinnamon, which has more oomph, so used ceylon and a little ginger powder on top. Those were all great choices! I was surprised that the juice didn't run down into the cake, really at all. And here, I'd been worrying that the apricots would dissolve.,, Interesting recipe. Thanks for posting it.

I would just make the torte; people at potlucks don't expect single servings and I suspect there won't be any left over anyway! Seems like you're making it way more complicated than it needs to be. A torte will be prettier for presentation, too.

The NY Times recipe is a lovely recipe. If you want to make it into cupcakes, you may want cut the fruit smaller and dehydrate the fruit partially in the oven first to compensate for the shorter cooking time.

Well I forged ahead with the cupcakes made from the summer torte recipe. I macerated the peaches with sugar and lemon juice before topping the cupcakes. I didn't mind if the peaches didn't get cooked since they were perfectly ripe. I topped with a brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping because I had some left over from the aforementioned muffins.

They turned out good, however I underestimated how much they would rise so the tops rose onto the flat part of the muffin tins and then baked up more like a cookie. So to take the cupcakes to the pot luck and serve I will have to trim the edges. I estimated eight servings for the torte so eight cupcakes but ten would have been better. Also instead of laying the peach slices on top of the muffins I inserted them standing up so they went down pretty far into the cake batter. The other change I made was to add 1/2 tsp. vanilla and dried lemon peel to the batter just to punch up the cake a little since peaches are less tart than plums or some other fruits. The cake tastes fab.

Here's a photo of an untrimmed and trimmed cupcake, and the rest as they came out of the oven. Cake is sweet enough, no frosting necessary. I have to wait until I go to the store to get more butter to make another batch, this time I am going to try with ten or twelve cupcakes. For a potluck where there will be other desserts, a small cupcake is plenty. I could always serve with a side of whipped topping if someone wants to guild the lily. I found out I have the date wrong, the pot luck is not until Thursday so I may freeze these. That's another plus about the cupcakes, if you are the kind of person who needs one or two dessert servings only, having the cupcakes frozen in individual serving sizes makes it easy to pull out a couple if you are in the mood for desert for just the small family and don't want to have to try and finish off the whole cake.

I think cupcakes are much easier to take to a potluck and folks don't have to futz with any serving issues. I don't have to cut ahead of time and try to meter out servings. If you make the cupcakes the right size folks can just pick one up with their own hands and don't have to touch anything else, or you can use tongs. So easier and slightly more hygienic overall. I'm a huge fan of muffins and now cupcakes! Plus any leftovers easily will pop into the freezer. Watching my weight as I do, I like to have deserts in the freezer for company but not sitting around on a regular basis.

sorry....those are not "company pretty" in my book. Easier and prettier to just make te toret asw ritten .if you have some to freeze wrap individual servings in saral and freeze. You are making this harder than it needs to be.

I am not having company. I am going to a casual garden club potluck at my church and folks around here don't give a hoot about appearances, especially for a potluck. Heck, folks hardly ever even bring home made stuff let alone fancy. We will be lucky if it's not take out pizza and store bought potato salad. Tupperware and the crock pot rule the table if the old school ladies have time to cook. Often big messy shmooshed sheet cakes you have to serve yourself. It was one of the easiest deserts I have ever made. Few ingredients and not a lot of dishes to clean up. Probably took longer to type about it than make it. Out of the pan and trimmed up they look fancy by my standards, an understated elegance.

Also not sure why cutting individual slices and separately wrapping in saran wrap is easier than popping a set of cupcakes into a tupperware container and sliding into the freezer. I do it all the time with muffins and they keep fresh just fine. As I use up muffins I rotate them into smaller containers so not freezing a lot of air.

Maybe not ”company pretty”, but they look ”we're all friends here appetizing”, though I like the untrimmed wannabe muffin look. As long as your people think they look good to eat, that's all that matters.

I was tired last night, and not baking for company. My torte isn't pretty. It'll stand by your cupcakes in solidarity.

They look good to me! Even with the sides hanging over. :)

Well, when I take something to a potluc;k presentation is part of my plan. Never in Tupperware, no disposable aluminum pans and I am a huge "anti fan" of cupcakes and muffins in paper. Peeling the paper off gets crumbs everywhere and then you have those used papers all over.

I am sure they tasted fine. I have been to many church potlucks like you describe but my offerings are always in an attractive serving dish, or pie plate.

it's my thing, I believe you taste with your eyes first. And I LOVE having individual servings, individually wrapped of desserts in my freezer. I often make brownies just for me and cut them into 4 inch squares, wrap and freeze.

I'm sure people will appreciate having homemade treats!

Well, for those actually interested in the ease of making, freezing and serving the summer torte as cupcakes, I put a batch in the freezer and they will be great for pulling one out for my Dad when he comes over for Sunday dinner and wants desert. We almost never eat desert.

It tasted delicious, but I won't make it again with peaches. It has been my experience that peaches go kind of "blah" when cooked, even though fresh ones are my favorite fruit. That's the reason I gave up on peach muffins and the only peach jams I make are peach melba and peach maple. I tried all kinds of peach jams over the years, with wine, ginger, etc. None of them seemed all that great to me. Fine but not really worth the trouble. You just lose the delicate taste, just like with most blueberry muffin and cake recipes and also strawberries. Even with lemon juice added. Not enough taste contrast between the cake and the fruit. I've made the torte with raspberries and plums though, very good contrast between the sweet buttery cake and the tart fruits.

I do like dried reconstituted peaches though, that's a great way to preserve them, as is canning them halved or diced. Easy peasy. Frozen OK too. I freeze them along with strawberries for smoothies. Peaches great in pie too, where they are concentrated together.

The potluck venue was moved from a park pavilion to indoors so I won't be going. Don't want to risk getting sick, I have a very full fall plate of activities and can't afford a set back.

If you do make the torte as cupcakes, only fill halfway for a regular sized muffin or cupcake tin. That way you won't get the "muffin tops."

I am also all about presentation, which is why I got a nice cake and cupcake tote. I don't mind the plastic, I would hate to have to fuss with something breakable and I would hate to lose something extra nice. I also have some wooden and metal trays and basket serving pieces. I love the totes, makes packing easy peasy and minimizes handling. I also have a "keep warm" insulated wrap for some of my other stuff and a carrying bag for my crockpot. Haven't had much call for any of that lately but who knows what the future will bring. I am working on a big community center project right now and we plan on lots of foodie type programs on local and cultural history around food.